I doubt that very much. Asada is the reigning GPF Champion and former World Champion and has always been a popular pick. She and Kim are viewed as two of the main threats for the 2010 OGM, and an early-season matchup should be a great audience draw.

Sorry i should have clarified, if people were picking tactically to give a skater more chance of wining they'd presumably steer clear of Mao.

Edited to add: On the other hand, I don't see any rule that would prevent USFS from leaning on Bebe and making her withdraw to open up a spot for a different American lady.

But the fact that Liang got a GP assignment (Cup of China) means USFS submitted her name to the GP selection pool in the first place (no reason not to do so because Liang was #30 on the SB scores list). Liang is currently listed in USFS' Team C funding envelope and, AFAIK, she would not be "made to wiithdraw" from her GP unless she wasn't competing this year. And even if she did end up withdrawing from CoC for whatever reason, China would not be obligated to pick a USA lady to replace her.

Well, if the USFSA could ask a skater to withdraw from a competition for the good of the team, why in the first place would they include the skater then later on withdraw. So afterwards, what will happen to the skater?!! It's just my opinion and sure hope I didn't offend anybody with what I've said.

If anyone should have been asked to withdraw from a GP assignment, it should have been Emily Hughes last season. Her TEB performance ranked 10th of 11 skaters and placed her #82 on the 2008-2009 SB list.

Prior to TEB, she had signed up for and withdrawn from two summer comps, then waited till September to do Midatlantics, where her subpar performances finished third behind Elene Gedevanishvili and Tamar Katz. She finished 3rd at North Atlantic Regionals behind Joelle Forte and Taylor Firth (who went on to finish 12th and 13th at Nationals). Although she had a bye to Nationals because of her TEB assignment, Emily withdrew a week before the start of Naitonals.

Put a face on it!

I saw this on You Tube and thought it was very helpful to me. It gives a 2 or 3 second clip of each skater at each GP event. I thought it was novel, some of these men I did not know what they looked like. I now have a visual of each skater at each event. I have four months to make popcorn!

Stood aside? The selection committee didn't put her on the world team. AFAIK they didn't ask her opinion on the topic.

Someone posted on one of these boards, long after the fact, that Katrina had been contacted by the committee before the decision and that she had bring willing for Kimmie to be given the spot. I don't know if this is true or not.

Originally Posted by chuckm

If anyone should have been asked to withdraw from a GP assignment, it should have been Emily Hughes last season. Her TEB performance ranked 10th of 11 skaters and placed her #82 on the 2008-2009 SB list.

One would think that USFS would have been justified to ask Emily Hughes to withdraw from TEB based on her competition performances last September/October, but the fact that she didn't withdraw seems to indicate that it was Emily's and her team's decision, and not USFS'.

Originally Posted by Mathman

Someone posted on one of these boards, long after the fact, that Katrina had been contacted by the committee before the decision and that she had bring willing for Kimmie to be given the spot. I don't know if this is true or not.

I also recall this rumor being posted online (it might have originated at FSU?), but based on comments Katrina Hacker made at 2008 Four Continents and elsewhere since that time, I am led to believe that it was never her decision to "stand aside" for Meissner to go to 2008 Worlds in her place. Prior to 2008 Nationals (where she finished 6th in her senior debut to Meissner's 7th), Hacker's only international experience had consisted of one JGP in the fall of 2006 (5th in Romania).

One would think that USFS would have been justified to ask Emily Hughes to withdraw from TEB based on her competition performances last September/October, but the fact that she didn't withdraw seems to indicate that it was Emily's and her team's decision, and not USFS'.

If I understand these convoluted GP rules, national federations must submit some sort of list to the ISU with the names of skaters who can compete. If Emily got an assignment, the USFSA must have put her on the list. They would not put her on a list, then ask her to withdraw.

Like most of this board, I hope Becky and Alexe get a second spot each. But then, this guilty feeling comes over me. What is it exactly that I am "hoping"? Do I want somebody to get sick? Do I hope somebody gets injured? Do I want somebody to get caught using drugs? Of course not! So there isn't anything for me to "hope" ..... except that this mysterious TBA spot at Skate America goes to a girl who deserves it.

If I understand these convoluted GP rules, national federations must submit some sort of list to the ISU with the names of skaters who can compete. If Emily got an assignment, the USFSA must have put her on the list. They would not put her on a list, then ask her to withdraw.

That was my point about Bebe Liang earlier. The difference between Liang's and Emily Hughes' situations is that Hughes was guaranteed one Senior GP assignment last year because she was in the top 24 2007-08 Season Best scores list (Liang was not guaranteed 1 GP this year because she was #30 on the SB list).

Megan Oster was a talented up-and-coming U.S. lady just a few years ago. She received 2 Senior GP assignments (2007 Skate Canada and NHK Trophy) after having medalled (bronze) in the Junior Grand Prix Final in December 2006. But she first had to compete at her Regionals in October 2007 and place top 4 in the Senior Ladies event there in order to be eligible for her bye through Sectionals in November (due to the timing of NHK) to 2008 Nationals. Unfortunately, Oster did not place in the top 4 at Regionals and therefore did not qualify for Nationals even through she had 2 GPs. She ended up withdrawing from Skate Canada due to injury and, soon afterwards, withdrew from NHK Trophy as well. Oster officially announced her retirement before the start of last season.